In a launch video, KA design says the Nazis “took the swastika, rotated it by 45 degrees, and turned it into hatred, and turned it into fear, and turned it into war, and turned it into racism”.

Swastika origins

The swastika and its variants were key to a number of ancient cultures, most notably to Indo-Aryan peoples who invaded and settled in the Indian sub-continent in the early Bronze Age, around 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.

The symbol carries religious importance for a number of Indian religions, including Hinduism, and the word itself derives from the Sanskrit language, which was spoken in ancient India and continues to hold liturgical importance for Hindus.

The Nazis later appropriated the symbol as part of their own race-based mythology, in which they exalted Nordic European peoples as the descendants of the original Aryan race.

After the defeat of the Nazis in the Second World War, displaying the Swastika was banned in several Western countries.

In India and other majority Hindu states, it continues to be used as a religious symbol.

“[Nazis] stigmatised the swastika forever,” KA design said. “They won, they limited are freedom, or maybe not? … The swastika is coming back, together with peace, together with love, together with respect.”

Negative reaction

Reactions to the company’s attempt to rebrand the symbol were largely negative and included criticism from Jewish groups.

After thousands of angry tweets and posts on Facebook, Teespring withdrew the clothes from sale.